Fade to Grey
by ShadowedFang
Summary: What happens when someone of power falls from the path of a Hero, and instead walks the slender line between Dark and Light? AUish
1. Time of Dreaming

The Time of Dreaming

**Fang:This will be more connected than a series of one-shots, but far less linear than a story. It Came with a Price will still be first priority, so updates shall be sporadic. I will be switching around as far as PoV, and just generally experimenting. The tone in general shall be dark... You have been warned. This is in no way connected to my other story(s), enjoy.**

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Jazz

It's late, but I can't seem to sleep. Where is Danny? The dim light from the lamp on my desk casts a soft golden glow around my room. I've never had problems with insomnia before, but the constant worry for my brother has taken it's toll. I constantly wonder if one of these days he won't come back.

Recently that hasn't been my only worry. Danny has always been sarcastic, but lately… I don't know. His sarcasm and humor has acquired this dry cynical edge, his wit used to cut and hurt rather than amuse. He knows it too, and doesn't seem to care. That's not the only thing that's changed however. After three years of fighting he somehow became graceful. Usually he tries to hide it, but recently he just stopped. He now walks with a menacing glide that whispers subtly… "I'm dangerous, stay away from me."

It's scaring everyone, except for mom and dad, who are still oblivious to just about everything except ghosts. His friends have come to me repeatedly, asking desperately what had happened. Unfortunately, I'm just as in the dark as they are. The people at school have noticed as well, if only subconsciously. Whenever Danny walks down the halls these days people get out of his way.

The subtle sound of the refrigerator door opening downstairs prompts me to get up, it's most likely Danny, back from whatever battle that came up tonight. The darkness out in the hallway forces me to pause and try to let my eyes adjust. When I was fairly certain that I wouldn't trip and fall in the darkness, I creep past mom and dad's room and down the staircase.

The kitchen is somewhat illuminated by the soft silver light of the full moon. Danny stands with his back to me, drinking a bottle of water. I pause and lean against the doorway. "Danny… we need to talk."

He pauses and turns around, an odd smile on his face… But what makes my mind sputter to a stop is the fact that he's _covered_ in ectoplasm. "Wh… what happened?" The faintly luminescent green fluid is splattered all across his face and the front of his black leather jacket. Some of it even managed to get into his hair, drying it into even messier spikes than normal.

He lifts an eyebrow and his eyes glitter in amusement. "None of it's mine if that's what you're wondering." He grins, exposing teeth that seem slightly sharper than they should have been.

I just stand there for a moment… trying desperately to find something to say. "If it's not yours than who's is it?" I finally get something out, my heart is racing and my voice trembles… He couldn't possibly have… could he?

That amused predator's grin widens and he shakes his head, in resignation or amusement, I'm not sure which. "Nocturne's if you must know." He sets the water bottle down on the table and takes a step forward. "But it's nothing you need to worry about."

My uncertainty and confusion start to turn into anger and fear. I snap "What do you mean Danny? Why the heck wouldn't I worry about it?"

He raises his right hand, wreathed in dark violet mist. His eyes glow crimson as he whispers, "Because this is all a dream."

He smiles at me, almost tenderly as I sink to the floor. I try to struggle, to speak, to reason with him, but everything fades to black. I sank into the warm dark, into the embrace of dreams. Unlike the last few years, I was untroubled by nightmares.

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**My dear readers and lovely reveiwers, we have only just begun. I would love to hear what you have to say, and what you think happened. I would find your responses most... enlighening.**


	2. A Strange Truth

**This is the first chapter of the rewrite. All of the old chapters will be included, along with new chapters to give you a more complete view of the situation. For those of you who have not read this before, this story will get dark my dear readers and wonderful reviewers.**

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A Strange Truth

_3 months before…_

Maddie

I witnessed the most remarkable and tragic thing today. A little girl died, and a ghost cried for her. It's something that I never thought possible, a ghost has no emotion by definition, yet this one shed tears. It's almost enough to make me question the theories that my husband and I have held all of these years.

This day started out as any other, my son was late to school and my daughter was scolding him as they got into her car. I went down into the lab to tinker with the weapons in the hopes of getting a few more of them to work. Because my husband was at a ghost convention I was able to get more done than usual. This afternoon I went out to do ghost patrol. School had just let out, and the children were coming outside to get on the buses and into the cars of parents. I sighed in nostalgia; the days were long gone where I would pick up my children from school.

The ghost tracker in the GAV alerted me to an attack… right above the elementary school. Even through the metal walls and bulletproof glass of the assault vehicle I heard the screaming before I got there. I grabbed my ecto-bazooka and exited the vehicle. Predictably, Phantom was fighting a new ghost that seemed to have a fondness for pulling narrow black blades from thin air.

The battle raged back and forth above the school. The new ghost seemed to have the advantage; Phantom's moves mostly consisted of dodging the rapiers that had materialized in the other's hands. The fight was moving far too rapidly for me to get a clean shot at either of them. At the time I justified my inaction by the need to conserve the charge on my weapon for an opportune moment, I wish now that I had done something, anything besides just standing there and watching.

Through all of this chaos reigned, panicked parents frantically grabbed their screaming children and took them from the site. Phantom had been thrown into the front of the school, causing the entrance to become a deathtrap of flames, falling rubble, and twisted metal. People wove around me, avoiding me by scant inches as I took careful aim with my weapon. Right then the newcomer was babbling something about spilling the pretty crimson all over town.

Phantom merely responded with a feral growl and took aim with his stolen Fenton thermos. The other ghost reversed its grip on the blade in its hand as it shrank from a rapier to a throwing dagger. The weapon twirled in a graceful arc through the air and slashed Phantom's arm, throwing off his aim with the thermos before continuing on its deadly course. The world seemed to move in slow motion around me, some strange premonition of tragedy caused my eyes to trace its path through the air.

I didn't see the exact moment that the blade struck, but I heard her scream. It pierced through the chaos like the blade that had just flown on its fatal course. I dropped my gun, my entire focus on getting to the source of that one particular scream. It cut off far too soon, and my instincts were telling me that it was already too late.

The new ghost, the cause of all of this merely laughed, waved jauntily at Phantom, and disappeared in a swirl of energy before the ghost boy's blast could hit him. He growled at the space formerly occupied by his new enemy, and the viridian energy around his fists flared lethally before dying away. I pushed a fleeing civilian out of my way to get to the little girl's side.

With the disappearance of the insane ghost a faint shadow of reason returned to the seething mob that the crowd had become. I threw myself to the ground beside the girl's sobbing mother. It was far too late, as I had known by instinct. The crowd backed off to form a circle a respectful distance away. I looked on with horror at the long ragged line slashed across the girl's throat, letting the blood run across the concrete and soak into her long blond hair.

My throat closed, and I closed my eyes against the burning tears. Faintly, I sensed a cold presence descend from the air. I opened my eyes, and the harsh acidic words on my tongue died as I saw Phantom's expression. His eyes were wide and horrified, the spectral visage streaked with tears. Years of false assumptions crumbled in that instant, that one moment of horrified empathy and mutual failure.

The young mother beside me paused in her sobbing, looking up at what many people believe to be the savior of our town. "Phantom, please… If you can… Destroy that creature, avenge my little Rose."

Brightly glowing viridian green eyes closed, the tears continuing to flow. His head tilted down, the weight of the world showing clearly on his shoulders. "I swear, on my existence, that I shall hunt the Dark Soul responsible, I shall hunt any Dark Soul I find who seeks such an act."

Viridian energy flared around them and spiraled inward. The chaotic dance it wove changed as it drew inwards. The emerald energy bled crimson, becoming wilder, fiercer, and more primal. The outburst of energy pulsed once more, curling about the mother and flowing into the spectral guardian before fading away.

His eyes, when he opened them, were burning crimson.

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**Fang: For those of you who have already read the first parts of this story once, it will remain in the same style. I will still have time skips, but only forward and not back. Please review, my story writing suffers without it.**


	3. Viridian Trail

**(1) Aetheris - old name for the Ghost Zone.**

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Skulker knelt down to examine the ever so slightly luminescent stain in the grass. Any human passing by in the daytime who did not have sophisticated equipment or know what they were looking for would pass right by it, never knowing that it was there or what had happened. Instinct told him. A shudder passed through his core. A ghost had died here. No, more than that, it had been ripped apart and consumed.

What had happened was imprinted in the energies around the area and would likely take months to fade. He had sensed it just from flying overhead. Rage, cold rage, emanated from the spot. Whoever did this did so for revenge. Another, somehow familiar, flavor was laced through it that made his hunting instincts flare. The call of the hunt, the same call he had followed from the moment that he had coherent thought when he formed in Aetheris(1) lay just beneath the rage and terror blanketing the area. Whatever spirit did this was just as dedicated to the hunt as he himself was…

This did not bode well at all. Several spirits had expressed concern, recently some of the ghosts who had left Aetheris to travel the mortal plane had not returned. It was no longer safe to be here. Word had travelled quickly of the disappearances and those wishing to pass between the realms had for the most part decided to find other rips in the Veil to travel through. Skulker himself had decided to investigate, partially out of concern for his employer, and partially out of curiosity. While what he found was not entirely unexpected, it was still troubling.

It was not often that one spirit chose to destroy another; and rarer still that they made a habit of it. The spirit that consumed the energy of another would get a brief flare of power, one that would most likely bleed off in a matter of days if not hours and also ran the risk being stripped of the ability to regenerate with their own energy. There were few exceptions to the rule, and those that were had usually become terrifyingly powerful in a very short amount of time.

This seemed to be one of the latter cases. There were places like this scattered throughout the town, predominantly on the outskirts. This one seemed to be the oldest; none of the rest had held the same feel of iced over rage. The others had all had a sense of predatory amusement layered over the terror. Again, the hunter was reminded uncomfortably of himself. The fresher the traces got, the stronger they became.

The feeling of eyes on his back prompted him to turn around, blade unsheathed. The creature that met his eyes was one that he had never seen before… something that surprised him given his long years of hunting. While most spectral creatures of ectoplasm were green this one was a bright silver white, like liquid moonlight. Intense icy blue eyes watched him from a wolf-like face, but the creature's body was built like a lean great cat. Powerful paws that hid long claws were tucked under the long wolfen tail.

He raised his blade and gun, the desire for the hunt overwhelming him… And then he looked into its eyes. _Brother…_ the soft feminine voice stole past all of the barriers that he had placed on his mind. Confusion filled him. Brother? What?

A chorus of howling rent the night. The melody wove itself around him and the moonlight seemed to shimmer. An intense longing shot through his core. He fell to his knees, the intense pain and longing making it impossible to stand. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate through the spell being woven by the fey howling. His head spun and dizziness made it difficult to concentrate. Something in his mind snapped and the thrill of the hunt roared through him, stunning in its beautiful simplicity. No… By my will, not yours. He fought back the euphoria and the loss was almost enough to bring tears to his eyes.

The creature before him finally lifted her head in song. Her voice twined with the others only briefly before the song came to an end. The pain and dizziness passed and he lifted his head. The ice blue eyes of the creature bore into him. _Why do you resist us so Brother? Do you not want a true form once again?_ An image formed in his mind. It was himself, with bright silver fur and feline form with a wolfen face. His own burning green eyes bore into him from the vision the creature wove for him. Curiosity and sorrow laced the mental voice, contrary to the rage that he had expected.

Fierce pride and defiance ripped through him and he bared his teeth in a snarl. The creature before him diped her head in acknowledgement. _I understand Brother. We were wrong to try to force you. We thought you would welcome us._ The creature got to her feet and approached him. He attempted to stand though resisting the spell the pack had attempted to weave about him had drained his strength. _It is alright Brother._ She brushed her head against his armored cheek. A surge of affection rushed into him from the mind of the creature._ We will wait for you. Soon the Wild Hunt will run again; and none of the Dark Ones shall be safe. We will welcome you… should you wish to join the Hunt. _

She turned and ran into the darkness of the forest, moving with a speed and grace that was breathtaking. Despite her bright white form she melted into the shadows as if part of them.

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**Fang: Before anyone asks, she and her pack are not the ones who have been ripping the ghosts apart. As to why she's here? Well you'll have to read more to find out now won't you?**

**Velya: You're a bloody tease you know that? And you have the nerve to call ME sadistic.**

**Fang: Tis a talent. Please review, you might even get a reply…**


	4. Calling the Hunter

**Fang: This chapter was ridiculously difficult to write. I'm really not even sure I should put it in at this point in time. But, everything else from here on out hinges from this. So, my dear readers, here it is. No blood this time though. **

**Velya: Don't worry. *fanged grin* I shall make sure she gets on with the slaughter. Otherwise... well, she won't like the conseqences.**

**Fang: *starts backing up* Now Velya, if you kill me there won't be anyone to write you into any story. Don't look at me that way! Help! *flees***

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Danny

The streets are silent tonight. I marvel at that small fact. Before this past month I could count on one hand the number of quiet nights that I've had in the last year. Usually there would be two ghosts between ten o'clock and three, with at least one more before sunrise. I bare my teeth in a feral smile and run my tongue over the tips of my new fangs. Things have changed. I've changed.

I wonder for a moment whether or not that's a bad thing, and then I decide I don't care. I rise from my crouched position on the school roof and launch myself into the air. The cold wind rushes over me and howls in my ears. I delight in the sensation and turn over in mid-air to admire the moon. It seems especially luminous tonight, the liquid silver light illuminating everything to my hybrid eyes.

An unearthly howl builds in my chest before I release it. It spirals up into the frigid night air, reaching glassy heights no human could possibly hope for before trailing back down again. Impossibly, an answering howl comes from the forest, beyond the borders of the town. Once again I howl, and this time the entire pack answers. The melodious haunting harmony of their voices reaches out across the distance to mingle with my own. Ancient, untamed, wild, a shiver builds in my core and spreads over me.

The wild music touches something primal, something unknown by humans for millennia. Brought to my knowledge by death and the hunt, I understand what they say now. Brother, they call. It isn't words or language in their music, but a deeper knowing and intent. Brother? They ask. A plead, an acknowledgment of kindred spirit. Brother! They cry. Exultation, an acceptance as I howl once more, shattering the silence in the night.

It's irresistible, this draw, this knowing. My pack has come for me. They call for me to run with them, to cast aside my bonds and fly free. Everything recedes from my mind. All of my promises lay forgotten; all of my responsibilities are cast aside. Nothing matters except reaching that fey promise of freedom, understanding, and family.

I turn back over in the air and shoot off for the tree line. Just as I reach it the fabric of the world ripples, and time bends, breaks, shatters, then falls still. The fey call falls silent in the sudden stillness of the world. As my mind begins to clear and the irresistible pull fades I realize that someone is blocking my path. I bare my teeth and snarl uncertainly at the one who dared to stop me. Elder, powerful, don't fight, my instincts whisper. Reach them, your pack waits, the fading remnants of the call insist. The conflicting instincts fight each other, allowing my conscious mind to reach the surface again.

I clutch my head as the world spins on it's axis, the sudden vertigo makes it difficult to stay in the air. A strong hand grips my arm, holding me aloft until I manage to fight off the dizziness and stabilize myself. The spirit lets go of me and floats back a few feet. Solemn red eyes in a scarred face watch me from beneath a violet cloak.

"Clockwork? What… what happened? Why are you here?"

He pauses for a moment, if such a thing can exist when time stands still, looking at me and observing before replying. "In order… you were summoned. I came here to prevent you from making a decision without knowing the consequences."

I interrupt. "Summoned? What do you mean summoned, and what consequences are you talking about?"

He ignores me and continues on a completely different topic. "The Observants have become alarmed at your recent activities; they have come to believe that you shall follow the same path as you did in the future that was." He levels a glare at me that silences the growl rumbling in my chest. "You haven't precisely given them reason to think otherwise. Though I know your motivations and intent, they do not. The role you have taken upon yourself in the past was that of a guardian, now, you have chosen to hunt and avenge. Following this path will require you to leave behind everything that you now know and hold dear, and in time, only hold company with those of a similar calling."

I stare at him, not knowing what to say. I've been drifting further from my family and friends… but abandoning them? I realize suddenly that is what answering that call would have meant, it asked that I turn my back on everything. Not only was it freedom… it meant abandoning everything that I had worked so hard for. But do I want to be bound to this place for the rest of my existence? One that I knew could very well last hundreds if not thousands of years?

Shadowed crimson eyes watched the play of emotion on my face, the shifting of my stance in the air, the distress that hummed in my aura. The barest hint of a smile crossed his face, so quickly that it may not have been there at all. "I will not think any less of you whatever your decision may be." He disappeared then, in a flash of power. Time and space rippled and bent, the shattered shards fitting back into place seamlessly. It is only now that I miss the heavy weight of the time medallion against my chest.

The call of the pack resumes it's chaotic dance through the night. My heart and core cry out, one against the other, both torn. To stay or go? My heart insists that I stay, reminding me of my loyalties to family and friends, yet I cannot help but remember the hatred that people have turned against me, the cruel taunts and sneers and the contempt, even before I became something both more and less than human. My core insists that I answer the call and acknowledge my nature, but at the same time I am drawn back to this place that I have selflessly protected for so long.

Pain tears through me and I call out my indecision and despair to the waiting pack and the cold uncaring moon far above. I sink to the ground as tears run down my face. This one thing I want; and I cannot even grasp it because of my _responsibility. _Then, _they_ are there, sliding out from shadows between the trees. There were three voices in harmony that had promised the ultimate freedom. One with fur black as the abyss and eyes deep as blood, one of shimmering moonlight with the promise of peace in her gaze, one in-between the two with a silver coat and forest green eyes.

Ice blue eyes stared into mine. The comforting touch of warm fur slid around my form as the silver furred one curled around me and laid his head in my lap, offering silent comfort.

_What troubles you so dear Brother?_ The soft mental voice echoed soothingly in my mind.

_I cannot go with you._

_Why?_ This time there was a trace of hurt in the thought.

_I can't yet leave them. My family will be in danger if I go._

Those icy yet warm eyes turned contemplating for a moment before she responded, amusement coloring her voice. _You think we would abandon you Brother. It was your call that awakened us. Your purpose sings to ours. We shall remain if you do, and we shall follow when you leave. We shall be your pack should you accept us, and be your family when yours is no more._

Her head lifted and she called to the bright moon above in song. After a moment of hesitation Phantom, the Hunter joined her. The haunting melody the pack and their Hunter wove spun through the abyss of the night. Those that held darkness in their hearts felt the cold brush of death and shuddered. None save the innocent are safe.

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**Velya: ShadowedFang and her splinter personalities do not own Danny Phantom or affiliated characters. Luckily for them...**


	5. In Remembrance

**Fang: For those of you who are curious what caused Danny to snap...**

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Maddie

The last glow of the setting sun illuminates the sky. Two months ago, to the day, a little girl died in a ghost attack. Both Phantom and I were there. Phantom's opponent summoned a black blade and threw it at the crowd with the intent to kill, it then teleported away before Phantom or I could retaliate. As she died in my arms I wanted to blame Phantom for the tragedy, but his eyes were filled with as much horror and sorrow as mine. For the first time ever in my career, I saw a ghost cry.

I shift the bouquet of white roses in my arms as I walk across the cool grass to the cemetery. Things like this are why I took up ghost hunting in the first place. While ghosts are scientifically fascinating, they also pose a threat to humans. The wind shifts and turns unnaturally frigid for this time of year. The ghost detector on my belt begins beeping faintly before I turn it off so it won't compromise my position. My heart begins to race and I feel the comforting hum of adrenalin beneath my skin.

The roses have a good chance of getting ruined in any kind of fight so they get left near the edge of the cemetery. I pull out my ecto-gun and stalk forward, stepping lightly to avoid giving myself away. The breeze shifts again and the trail of cold that I was following disappears. I duck behind a tombstone with my pulse pounding in my ears. It could be anywhere, and I don't have any form of backup.

"There's no need to skulk around in the shadows Maddie, I know exactly where you are." That voice sends shivers down my spine, it's deepened over the last three years, as for some reason the ghost it belongs to has aged unlike others of it's kind. Though we eventually reached some semblance of truce, it's rather fragile; a few months of truce after years of enmity don't do much to inspire trust.

"Phantom?"

"Who else?" His reply is flat, lacking any trace of amusement or humor, and far more weary than I had ever heard it.

Cautiously, I forsake my cover, for what little good it would do against this particular ghost. I can never forget what he's capable of, though he has saved the town now on multiple occasions. His power makes him dangerous, and never have I been more aware of that than now. I stop several yards behind him. Though ghosts are notoriously resistant to change, this rule has never applied to Phantom. But I had never seen him change quite this drastically in such a short time.

His gloves and boots, normally a pure white, are crimson just a shade darker than blood. The gloves fail to conceal the tips of the black claws on his fingertips. His shoulder-length hair moves on it's own and wisps at the tips, almost as if it were trying to burst into flame. His stance though, is nonaggressive, and he stands in front of the very grave I had come to visit. I move forward to stand beside him.

The beautiful monument in front of us is constructed of black marble, and engraved with an elegant silver cursive.

_In loving memory of Emily Rose Williams_

"Strange to think that just a couple months ago she was a lively little girl; and it was my failure that led to this." His eyes, the same crimson as his gloves, remain on the gravestone as he speaks. Not sure what to say, I transfer my gaze up to the sky, where the first stars of the evening are beginning to show themselves in the deepening blue of the sky.

"Not just your failure, I was there as well." My gaze transfers from the darkening sky to the ghost standing beside me. We stand in silence in front of the grave for a moment. A dread creeps up in me, one that might be able to be answered by the ghost beside me. "Did she become a ghost?"

A shadow of a smile flickers across his face before leaving again. "Briefly." I turn to him, and he meets my eyes. "Only long enough to ask me to make sure that the one who killed her couldn't hurt anyone ever again, she moved on then." Rage shows through the sorrow in his eyes. "I destroyed him you know, the one who did this to her." The feel of the night turns dangerous and hostile for a long moment before calming again.

"Good."

He raises his hands and a blue glow appears between them. The energy solidifies to form a crystalline rose, which he lays before the gravestone before he disappears in a swirl of red energy. I remain there for a time, before a sense of peace fills me. At least she rests easily, unlike the spirits that torment this town. I take another long look at the sky before going back to get the white roses that I had bought. "In remembrance." I whisper as I lay the flowers amongst the others that decorate the grave.

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**Fang: *sigh* It fits in it's own way I suppose. This one has a slightly different tone to it than the other one, still dark though. Please reveiw, it makes me update quicker.**


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